Philadelphia-area businesses take part to mentor young readers

The first child to sit down to read with Prudential analyst Vinina Hawkins at her Dresher office was the tallest first grader Hawkins had ever seen. Then came a stubborn student who called reading a bore, and there was the little actress who read aloud as though she were auditioning.

"I would say, 'There's no exclamation point there,' " Hawkins said. "And she would say, 'But there should be. I'm so excited.' "

At lunchtime Tuesday, Hawkins was coaching her eighth West Oak Lane Charter School student in eight years - 6-year-old Moriah Taylor.

This time, the book was Even More Parts, filled with cliches involving body parts.

"My ears are burning," Moriah read.

"What does that mean?" Hawkins asked.

"My ears are hot," Moriah said, and Hawkins corrected: "Someone's talking about you."

Hawkins, who doesn't have children, said that when she had volunteered for the program, she hadn't been all that enthusiastic.

But that tall first grader was "such an awesome little girl," Hawkins said, that she was hooked.

The one-on-one tutoring sessions at the Montgomery County office are a program of Philadelphia Reads, a nonprofit organization that helps students become skilled readers by fourth grade.

Launched by education activist Marciene Mattleman in 1997 as an initiative under Mayor Ed Rendell, the program now involves 30 corporations, nonprofits, and professional organizations with 1,500 volunteer tutors serving 950 first through third graders in 24 schools under its Power Partners program.

Philadelphia Reads also offers a book bank at Martin Luther King High School, trains reading coaches and tutors, and hosts the annual Reading Olympics competition for students, executive director Adrienne Jacoby said.

Each week, the children - from Philadelphia and Camden - ride a school bus to visit their group's headquarters for a literacy coaching session with a volunteer employee.

"It takes you away from the craziness of the corporate world for about an hour, and you reconnect with what life is all about: helping little ones prepare for the future," said Pat Callahan, senior rights manager at Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, publishers in Philadelphia teamed with students at George W. Nebinger Elementary School.

The sessions are held around the region weekly in conference rooms at law firms, cafeterias in publishing houses, and training rooms at insurance companies, where the volunteers read with the children books their teachers have picked out for them. They also work on writing, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

When the 28 students from Bache-Martin Elementary School file into the 19th-floor offices of Dechert L.L.P. at the Cira Centre, "it's all we can do to get them to stop looking out the window," said Jim Beck, counsel for the law firm. "A lot of them have never been in a tall building before."

The tutoring at offices aims not only to improve reading but also to expose students to mentors in workplaces so they get a glimpse into the future.

"We want them to see the possibilities," said Arline Morris, Philadelphia Reads program director. "We want them to feel validated that they belong in these places and they can see a diverse group of people working there."

Prudential has been involved with the program for 11 years and has worked with hundreds of students.

"We want to give people the opportunity to volunteer," said Wes Somerville, Prudential's associate manager of community resources. "In the past, we've done work with Project HOME and built a playground in North Philadelphia."

Every Tuesday about 11:50 a.m., the 45 first graders file into Prudential's training room, wearing blue-and-white uniforms and carrying their red Philadelphia Reads tote bags. They make a beeline to their mentor.

"Many of the kids come in at a deficit because they don't get those early literacy experiences at home," said Charletta Zeigler, assistant principal and reading specialist at West Oak Lane Charter School. "This gives them the one-on-one time that they crave and need - and it helps them become better readers."

Kevin McKay, an annuity case manager at Prudential, volunteers as 7-year-old Osheen Clarke's tutor. At last week's session, Osheen read the book When the Rooster Crowed aloud - with sound effects.

When the cow mooed, it was a "mooooo!"

"She's a very artistic and articulate young lady," McKay said, "and I'm seeing the nuances, like the animal sounds."

At Hawkins' table, Moriah was still working through Even More Parts.

She'd told Hawkins that "I'm tongue-tied" meant just that. And the illustration in the book - a guy tied up with a tongue - hadn't helped.

But eventually, Moriah got one.

"I zip my lip," she read.

"What does that mean?" Hawkins asked.

Said Moriah: "Shut your mouth!"